First Aid
by Ryna-chan
Summary: Why did he have to heal everyone all the time? Kratos Aurion figures that a certain Professor needs to know her place...
1. First Aid

**Um, for some strange reason, I'm writing this…thing. Not only is it ****one-sided KratosXLloyd****, but it is eventual ****KratosXRaine**

**I scare myself. **

**I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, Kratos would fight with his beautiful cerulean wings while in your party. **

* * *

"Ugh!" Kratos Aurion gave a loud grunt as the monster's razor-sharp scythes collided with his Omega Shield, resulting in a dull _clunk_. "Won't work!" The auburn haired man muttered with a hint of arrogance as he slashed horizontally with his readied steel sword. One swipe and the giant emerald Praying Mantis was sliced cleanly in half; its blue blood splattering harmlessly on the forest greenery. 

The mercenary didn't have time to clean his blade from the ill-looking azure substance though; he turned quickly from his deceased foe to witness his so- …_Lloyd_ collapse from near exhaustion.

The brunette panted heavily as he completely leaned on one of his sabers and rested on one knee. A wolf-like monster grinned evilly, approaching the red clad youth; it knew a delicious meal was within its reach.

Acting quickly, Kratos stood straight and tall with his shield in front; a white circle of enchantment surrounding the purple clad human as he recited a practiced mantra. "Don't overdo it," the auburn haired man quietly snarled, feeling the mana escape from his body and into his target, "First Aid!"

Immediately Lloyd felt his energy return, in the form of the mercenary's light green mana. His cuts and bruises faded away, and much to the wolf's disappointment, the twin swordsman stood up grinning smugly. "Thanks," Lloyd Irving murmured appreciatively to the elder swordsman, making quick work of the unfortunate wolf.

Kratos felt a small smile tug at his lips. _Lloyd will become a great swordsman one da--_

"Why just me?!" Collette Brunel's sob jolted the auburn haired man into awareness. The blonde was blindly swatting at three bulky ladybugs that had encircled her with the petty giant rings she owned. Why she chose to engage with chakrams was beyond the purple donned man's understanding.

_There are many reasons that it is only the Chosen…_Kratos absentmindedly answered Collette within himself as he shook his head to clear the wandering mind. "Take this, First Aid!" Again, more of his energy left his body, only to enter Collette.

"Thanks!" The Chosen of Mana cheerfully squeaked in her high voice, returning to the battle with additional vigor.

The constant healing began to exhaust the mercenary's mana supply. _Why are there so many monsters?_ Kratos made sure to check how the youngest of the group was faring.

Genis Sage was distant from the full force action; the silver haired boy chanted softly as he kept his kendama bouncing up and down in rhythm, a red circle of magic encircling him. "Fireball!" He shouted, thrusting his weapon forward; three flames smacking into a ladybug to destroy it as a result.

Genis was the only one that the purple clad man didn't have to be concerned about relentlessly; the small mage knew when to back away, and he always made sure to defend when an enemy was near.

So very unlike the young boy's two friends.

"Ack!" Lloyd fell back first on the ground, knocking all the air out of his body. The offender, another Praying Mantis, stalked hungrily towards the brunette.

_Lloyd!!!_ No other thoughts controlling his brain, Kratos dashed frantically towards the predator, desperately swinging his steel sword down. In his adrenaline, the mercenary tore through the unsuspecting monster, creating a sickening shower of blue liquid for the two swordsmen.

Completely drenched in sticky azure matter, Lloyd blinked up at Kratos, while the former did the same exact thing. They stared at each other; the brunette laying on the ground, and the auburn haired man standing over him, for a long moment of time in absolute silence.

"Wow…" the twin swordsman finally broke the stifling calm with a chuckle, "That was so cool, Kratos!" Lloyd smiled as he stood up, lightly clutching his abdomen where a moderate gash was located.

The auburn haired man sighed resignedly, approaching the younger swordsman; the bright light of healing magic surrounding him as he did so. With a softly murmured, "First Aid" Kratos removed Lloyd's gloved hand to replace it with his directly over the wound. In a burst of green mana, the injury mended itself together again.

The twin swordsman flushed a bright red, drawing away from the close contact, "T-thanks…" he stuttered, departing to leave the elder swordsman bewildered with the strange reaction.

Not one to ever dwell on a subject too long, Kratos shrugged slightly and scanned the battlefield for a certain woman. "Where is that professor…" The purple clad mercenary darkly wondered aloud, watching the brunette jump into the extended battle from the corner of his eye. _She is supposed to be healing all the time, not me._

Said professor was swinging her staff expertly, knocking down another wolf that thought that it had found an easy meal. Sweat appeared on her brow as she continued to thwart the ferocious beast. Small scratches covered her slim figure, and her ragged breathing revealed who was winning the battle of life and death.

Kratos felt a growl escape from deep inside his throat, seeing the failing ally. Rigidly standing to deliver a spell, the mercenary felt the last of his extra human mana depart from his body. "Take this, Lighting!" With his command of a raised gloved hand, a bolt of electricity fell from the heavens, coursing throughout the monster. The wolf gave a screeching howl of pain as it collapsed on the floor, never to move again.

Professor Raine Sage exhaled a tired sigh of relief as she saw that her opponent was slain. She awkwardly dusted her orange outfit before simply descending on her hands and knees, taking shallow breaths.

_Humph…_ Kratos narrowed his garnet eyes at the silver haired teacher, advancing towards her exhausted form. The purple donned man contacted his angelic mana supply to heal Raine. _She just __needs__ to get herself almost killed…_

"Thank you…" Raine heaved a sigh with her eased pain and lifted her head to look to her aid.

Cold garnet eyes bore deep into her sapphire ones.

"What are you doing?" Kratos snarled irritably, roughly hauling up the professor off the ground with a free hand. "Do you wish to die?"

The supposed healer responded with a snarl of her own, her pride taking a major blow. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, thank you very much." Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and shame.

"Magic users need to stand back." The mercenary inclined his head toward where Genis was standing, delivering the final spell on the last monster.

"Burn…Eruption!" the young mage smiled as the monster was reduced to a pile of charred ashes. "That was pathetic!" He cheered loudly, receiving a high five from both Lloyd and Colette.

At a loss of words, the former teacher watched Kratos turn and walk in the direction of the three giggling children, gruffly stating that they should set up camp far from this place.

"Stand back…tch." Professor Raine flicked her silver hair from her sapphire orbs. "I will do no such thing if my students and my younger brother are in danger."


	2. Guardian

…**As always, my off-handed humor must make an entrance. Disturbing. **

**And it should be the end of the onesided LloydXKratos XD**

**I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, Kratos would sing (yeah, you heard me…****sing****) in a cut scene somewhere. **

* * *

A campfire crackled merrily in the surrounding darkness. Five people and one 'dog' sat somewhat near the heat source, none talking loudly for no more than five minutes. Ever since the battle earlier that day, an edgy atmosphere encased the World Regeneration group, and the three youngest weren't exactly sure why. 

The purple clad mercenary sat facing the fire with an intense gleam in his garnet eyes. He sat a distance away from the others; keeping closer to Noishe, who was farthest from the welcoming flames. Kratos kept his face carefully blank, even when he had begun to hear the hushed conversations of the young people with his angelic hearing.

"Why is the Professor mad?" Genis's soft voice was lined with pure worry.

"And Kratos seems…a little more annoyed than usual." Lloyd's not so quiet pitch caused the auburn haired man to mentally roll his eyes. _He can be so…unobservant and obvious at times. _

Collette whispered fervently, "Do you think they fought?" the blonde sounded as if she wanted to cry.

It was becoming more and more difficult to maintain a straight face; _Such useless emotions…_Kratos wanted to scoff at the ridiculous display of concern for him and the professor. He glanced at the other subject of their conversation.

Raine sat idly, poking at the flames with a long stick she had found in the forest. She sighed wistfully as she stared into the flames, not once feeling the pair of garnet eyes on her.

_She needs to stay on guard at all times _The purple donned man grimaced. _Drifting mentally away will be her downfall_

"Kratos?"

The mercenary blinked. So much for staying on guard…

Lloyd stood before the auburn haired man, shuffling his red boots in the dirt. His brown hair was wild as usual, and his chocolate colored eyes darted in many directions, as if they would pop right out of his skull.

Needless to say; Kratos was actually unnerved.

"Do you think you…can train me again in sword fighting?" the brunette smiled widely, but Kratos couldn't help but notice it was forced.

"Lloyd…" the elder swordsman kept his voice level, hiding any irritation that was underlining his tone. "It's the middle of the night."

"Yeah…but you never know when we will get attacked in the dark!" the twin swordsman protested quickly, motioning towards the surrounding trees, "I need to know how to fight in darkness too!"

Kratos mulled over his argument for a moment. The brunette did have a point; and the auburn haired man didn't want anyone to suspect that he had been staying up the entire time to watch over the group. "Very well."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Had enough?"

"Haaa…haa… you gotta be kidding me!" With a loud cry, Lloyd again rushed the dark silhouette of Kratos with his two training swords.

Only to trip over a random tree root and fall flat on his face.

"Fundamentals of fighting in the dark; always quickly alternate between looking at the ground and looking at your opponent." The purple clad swordsman smirked, "You never know when something will…surface itself."

The brunette pouted while rubbing his abused nose gingerly. The two swordsmen had been relatively away from the camp for two hours, and the younger's sleep deprived brain was finally showing in his attacks.

If one could call them that; it was more like Lloyd running madly to trip, or smack into a tree.

Kratos amused tone wasn't very encouraging either. "How can you protect the chosen if you keep falling like her?" He mocked unkindly, only wishing to enrage the brunette into trying harder.

Lloyd opened his mouth for a retort, but shut it quickly again; instead, the twin swordsman sat up on the ground and motioned for Kratos to follow suit. The red clad youth had an uncharacteristic serious expression spread across his childish features.

Mildly astonished and curious at Lloyd's change of heart, the elder swordsman joined his apprentice. _I'm sure it's about-_

"So what happened between you and the Professor?"

…_and I was right_. "Nothing at all, Lloyd," the auburn haired man lied smoothly, almost fooling himself. Almost.

"You two have been tense all day," the twin swordsman pointed out, causing Kratos to subtly flinch with his mistake. "And Me, Genis, and Collette are worried."

"I'm sure we are both tried and drained of our mana, is all." The mercenary noted that Lloyd looked slightly uncomfortable at his statement. "We will be fine in the morning."

"Kratos…I'm sorry…" The brunette refused to make eye contact with the elder swordsman, choosing to examine the ground, "You had to heal me so much…and I don't seem to be getting any stronger…"

"That's not true," the purple donned man smiled lightly as he studied Lloyd's downcast profile, "I've trained another once, and you show so much more promise than he did."

"Really?"

Kratos chuckled at the innocence and hopefulness that was presented to him in the form of the twin swordsman's face. "Yes," he confirmed, rewarded with a bright grin from the younger swordsman. And…a tinged pink face?

The mercenary raised an eyebrow at the abnormality on Lloyd's cheeks. Didn't he see the same condition earlier that day? "Do you have a fever?" _We can't have him sick and slowing us down…_Kratos placed a gloved hand on Lloyd's forehead to check for illness.

The twin swordsman unexpectedly slapped Kratos's hand away, earning a grunt of confusion from the purple clad mercenary. The brunette turned an even deeper shade of crimson as he stuttered out apologies for his own foolishness, flailing weakly with his arms. "I-I didn't mean it, I swear!" He swayed considerably, nearly falling on his back.

_What is __wrong__ with him? _Kratos, patience running thin, harshly gripped the twin swordsman's thinner shoulders in an attempt to calm him. They both struggled for several minutes, the mercenary trying to keep the young man still, and the brunette's face turning redder and redder with each passing moment.

"LLOYD!" Kratos roared, forcing said youth to look directly into his face, "Are you unwell?! ANSWER ME!!"

Lloyd whimpered softly at the malicious tone, but he replied with silence, keeping his tears from falling.

"Lloyd…" Kratos tried again, in a calmer voice; relaxing his grip as he did so, "How can any of us help you if you refuse to speak?" Their faces were mere inches away from each other. _Since when did we come so close?_ The auburn haired man blinked as he realized Lloyd's lips were coming closer, right towards his own…

"Augh! **GUARDIAN**!!" The usually composed, even cold, swordsman _screamed_ the defense spell at the top of his lungs, pushing the brunette to the floor while he fell backwards; the green bubble of protection shattering almost immediately upon impact. _He tried to kiss me…! My SON tried to KISS me!! _Kratos's hysterical mind shouted, his left eye twitching violently.

The twin swordsman stood up with a start, his face a deeper red than his would-be crush's hair. "S-sorry!" Lloyd wailed disgracefully, sprinting away before the auburn haired man could even react.

Kratos stayed with his back on the ground, allowing nothing to enter his mind but the chirps of crickets in the night. It reassured him to some extent, how the world didn't end when a _son_ tried to 'make out' with his own father. Of course Lloyd didn't know that, but that wasn't the point.

"Humph. Never simple."


	3. Healing Stream

**Well, I wish **beware irregular nouns** had an email to reply with, cause I wanted to say thank you so much for the compliment! …and suggesting to keep the onesided LloydXKratos? Hmm…**

**But then, **The Amazing Chris** said he wasn't a big fan to that pairing, and they both wrote such nice reviews…**

**So…I think I'll…do this! **

**But, before that…I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, instead of a second play through…you could unlock the hidden game of the Ancient War with Kratos as the main character!!! (squeals)**

* * *

_When Kratos had first met Yuan, Martel, and Mithos, there was an uncomfortable silence among them. Who would talk first? What would they say? The hushed environment had more or less suffocated the only human in the area. _

_Four thousand and seventeen years later, Kratos still kept to the belief that silences with normally talkative people were terrible indeed. _

Ten days. Ten days of awkward silence was all the auburn haired man could stand before he had confronted Lloyd about the 'near kiss'. The twin swordsman had apologized pathetically and loudly, before Kratos nearly shoved a sharp steel sword down his throat to quiet him.

The two swordsmen talked it out like reasonable people in the end; in actuality though, Kratos lectured on "how there are times when you want to be closer to a person, but you mistaken it for love", and Lloyd agreed without a second thought.

Sad to say, the twin swordsman hadn't _completely_ listened to the older swordsman. Love knew no boundaries, right? Oh how wrong and right he was.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Take this! Light Spear!" a certain auburn haired man smirked as he saw that his slashes from his 'new found technique' were too much for the enemy. The giant sapphire rooster(?) squawked shrilly as it fell to its side, the stench of its death quickly polluting the air.

Kratos scrunched his nose at the appalling scent, but he quickly recovered, sheathing his steel sword and murmuring, "Never stood a chance…" He observed with a hint of relief that the remaining members had finished off what was left of the monsters. _I don't think I have enough ma—_

"Sis!"

"Professor!"

_Damn. _

The cries of Genis, Lloyd, and Collette were fairly justified, because said teacher collapsed from her stance on the battlefield. She gave the impression of being half dead, although Kratos assumed that Ranie was being _faintly_ overdramatic.

"Kratos, heal her!!" Genis blubbered pitifully, obviously believing that his sister would truly die. "We don't have any life bottles left!" Collette and Lloyd nodded passionately in agreement; they were evidently worried about her as the young mage was.

Despite the loud cries of protest from the children, the purple clad swordsman casually walked in their direction, more irritated than concerned for his ally. _Raine, Lloyd, Raine, Lloyd…at least my __son_ (He recently refused to call Lloyd by any other title)_ has an excuse; he can't use magic... but she can heal herself! _He silently seethed at the woman's foolishness as he approached the teacher.

What Kratos saw rendered him speechless.

Raine had a gapping hole in her chest, from Martel knew what, and her lifeblood was slowly seeping away, through her crimson tainted orange clothes and onto the grass. Although she must have been in great pain, the professor almost seemed calm, as if she accepted it…

"No!" Kratos knew that expression; he saw it through himself when he had almost been killed by Mithos after his betrayal seventeen years ago. If it wasn't for Yuan reminding Mithos that he was Origin's seal…"I won't let you die!" Kratos knew he shouldn't perform such an advanced healing technique, he was well aware that he would raise everyone's suspicions about him…but…

"_Healing Stream_!" He slammed both of his gloved hands palms down into the grass next to the silver haired woman.

A bright green circle that came from the ground practically blinded the three surrounding children as the magic ensnared the two adults, the sound of rushing water flowing freely through the area.

"W-what's that??" Lloyd shielded his eyes from the dazzling manifestation of mana.

"It's an extremely complex healing spell!" Genis informed, still shocked over the sight of Kratos, a simple _mercenary_, knowing such a difficult mantra.

"Will it save the Professor?" Collette smiled brightly, already knowing the answer. If the unmoving swordsman took his time to heal her, she will be fine.

As soon as the magic dissipated, Raine opened her sapphire eyes with a shot. She sat up, oblivious to the shouts of delight from the children.

Or the hidden glare of a swordsman.

"You," Kratos began icily, his face abnormally strained with anger, "_You_ need to heal. If you wish to burden us further, I suggest you leave and go back home."

The former teacher sputtered a few incoherent words before simply crossing her arms over her chest and huffed. "It's not like I asked you to heal me…"

_When had she begun to be like this?_ Kratos held back a growl, studying the woman before him with repugnance. _She never was so childish, nor this irresponsible…_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing was discussed or even mentioned about Kratos's outburst of mana; who would worry about such small details when they are trying to regenerate the world?

Raine, however, was not so easily pacified.

"How do you know that tech? Why haven't you used it before, we certainly needed it! And why--"

"Quiet, woman." The mercenary felt his eyes narrow once again, his voice surprisingly no more than a whisper, "The others are sleeping."

Another campout in the wilderness, but this time, Raine wouldn't stop pestering him. Kratos was taking the night watch, but the professor rejected the idea of slumbering without answers from the swordsman.

"At least time me where you learned it."

"What," Kratos couldn't stop the venom creeping out of his voice, "so you can NOT heal anybody?"

The silver haired woman became silent after that. Without anything but a mumbled, "G'night.", Raine sat next to her little brother and dozed off, leaving the swordsman feeling quite responsible.

And a little alone.

* * *

**85 hits for the last chapter...and two reviews. I think I'll go cry in a corner now. Nooo, I don't need reviews, oh Martel forbid! Noooooo...**


	4. Nurse

**Ohmigosh, change of point of view! …although it had been pretty much third person…I think this will be the only chapter that will be in first person Raine's point of view.**

**I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, Raine would get her mother's mind back. (Don't you dare say that I was the only one crying in that cut scene; don't you DARE)**

* * *

Kratos was a traitor.

Traitor (noun): one who betrays another's trust or is false to an obligation; one who commits treason

We were deceived.

Deceive; Deceived; Deceiving (verb): to cause to believe an untruth; to use or practice deceit

I should've seen it from the beginning; he was too knowledgeable, too experienced for a straightforward mercenary. I should've known something was wrong.

And in a way; I did.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kratos Aurion swept gracefully through our attacks. Nothing seemed to be working; especially my Photon and Genis's Thunder Blade. We were outmatched; even Sheena began to understand the hopelessness of the battle.

Lloyd though, kept trying with every fiber of his being. He continued to snarl "You bastard!", well after the match had begun. The brunette was truly hurt by Kratos's deception, and it showed through his cries of 'Psi Tempest' and 'Sonic Sword Rain'.

That was to be expected when Lloyd opened his heart to somebody; he was thrown around and abused. I wish I could've prevented it, to shield him from the pain of broken trust, but in reality…

I was as hurt as he was.

"_Don't overdo it, First Aid!"_

"_Stop being distracted in battle; it is unworthy of you."_

"_Do I have to save you every time?"_

"_Heh."_

"_I won't let you die! Healing Stream!" _

'_Won't let you die', huh? _I had to smile bitterly at the memory, _Are you going to say that now, even if you're the one trying to kill me?_

I mistakenly had learned to depend on the merc-…seraph's healings; I wanted to battle alone, because I assumed that I would eventually develop into a stronger fighter. I always felt so weak in the background; only there to heal, but with the extra healer, I could become skilled at melee combat.

And yet…

My unconscious sate was broken by the sudden impact to a large body colliding into mine. We both fell onto the unforgiving ground of the Tower of Salvation, my breath knocked completely out of me.

"S-sorry!" Lloyd grimaced, quickly climbing off, and standing up to join the battle once more.

Wheezing slightly, I stood up as well, to watch what was happening before me.

Genis stood in the far back as always, probably chanting the same spell for the fifteenth time in a row. He looked like he was ready to cry with each spell he delivered; it seems Lloyd and I weren't the only ones affected by the sudden betrayal.

Sheena and Lloyd both persistently fought Kratos with pure physical attacks; Sheena shouting 'Power Seal!', and Lloyd screaming 'Beast!' to knock the elder swordsman over.

Collette didn't move from her floating place when she lost her soul.

What was I doing? Just be _useless_ in the background? Not anymore. I couldn't afford to be helpless now.

"Help is on the way…" The familiar bright circle of concentration engulfed my rigid stance, my staff in front of me, "Nurse!" I observed with satisfaction the physical form of my healing art. The white clad women rushed around, healing everyone's wounds and injuries.

_How about that, Kratos?_

As if he heard my thoughts, Kratos abruptly twisted around and dashed towards me, despite his two opponent's attempts to stop him. He was moving so quickly with his cerulean wings…His blade, a fire covered sword, was poised to thrust, and in his garnet eyes was a hint of regret…

My sapphire orbs widened in fear. _He's going to kill me…!_

"Super Lighting Blade!"

Kratos's battle cry was the last thing I heard before I felt a burning sensation pierce my abdomen and my world went dark.

* * *

…**whoa. So I'm guessing you know who won that battle, right? And no one's confused on what just happened? Good. **

**I hate it when Kratos goes for the healer (Raine)! He's all: "Oh, look! EASY STANDING TARGET!" Darn him. **

**Ah…and the diving of Raine's mind…it's so weird. XD**

**I must congratulate myself on the shortest chapter in history. I am so sorry! (sobs) But I couldn't think of anything more else to say on Raine's part!!**

**But I do update pretty fast, eh? …guys? Anyone…?**


	5. Resurrection

**Hey, sorry for not posting right away! My internet totally broke down on me, so I was actually lucky that I got to update ****this**** soon. **

**For that, you get two chapters! Not really, because one of them you don't even have to read, but whatever.**

**And for reviews…I'm sorry; I'm usually really good when it comes to responding, but with my e-mail all screwed up, and I can't respond to half on the site itself (For some strange reason), I just…didn't. Sorry again! I love you all that reviewed! **

**I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, "Starry Heavens" would play in the beginning of the English version, just like in the Japanese one. That song's so cool!**

* * *

Of course Kratos had let them live. He was far too softhearted for his own good; he merely knocked the living mana out of his former allies.

Which, embarrassing so, was incredibly undemanding.

He had let them live and he had watched as they were saved by the Renegades. He had prayed a silent prayer that Raine would try healing more often (He had no idea why), and he had left back to Cruxis with Lord Yggdrasill.

And here he was again, months later, joining with the group that he had harshly betrayed. Kratos often wondered if Fate loved to torture him so. Or maybe Lloyd had a very twisted sense of humor.

"Leave the captives to us." Regal almost bowed as he led half the group along with all the human prisoners towards the exit.

Lloyd, Genis, Raine, and Kratos were left to the rest of the Human Ranch.

Oh, the memories.

"Come on, guys." The brunette called to his companions, ever the faithful person in charge, "We need to find that watchcha-ma-call-it." He was undaunted by the fact that one of Cruxis's leaders was with them, watching their every move. Even more so, it was _Kratos_ that was observing them. Heck, Lloyd was the one that _invited_ him.

"Mana Reactor…" Raine corrected with a hint of a sigh, trying to ignore the person walking beside her. Unlike Lloyd, she was _very_ aware of who it was.

Kratos seemed unbiased as usual, acting as if nothing ever happened. If he hadn't tried to kill the group awhile ago, one would assume he only went for a vacation and barely came back. Of course that wasn't the case.

Kratos didn't take vacations.

Genis shifted his gaze wearily between his sister and the purple donned seraph. The young mage felt awkward; it wasn't as if your enemies would just show up one day and say, "Hey, we need to join forces! Yay, goodness over all!" Genis felt a smile tugging at his lips as he thought; although for the most part, it was an entirely somber reflection.

The small group of four traveled down the many hallways without more than a couple of skirmishes; hardly anything that they couldn't handle with a couple of 'Photon', 'Sonic Sword Rain', 'Eruption', and 'Victory Light Spear's.

With growing irritation however, Kratos found that he was the main healer again. _How __did__ they manage without me?_ He performed another Healing Wind after another worthless fight, healing Genis's and Lloyd's injuries.

Poor silly Kratos forgot that the "Great Zelos Wilder" was the group's new healer.

They continued to trek into the Human Ranch until they entered a massive chamber of some sort, with the Mana Reactor was plainly in front of them, but there was someone standing in the way. Someone that Kratos immediately recognized as a half elf, and Lloyd found familiar from the past.

"That's as far as you go." The aqua-green haired half elf sneered.

"…You're…" in a flash, the brunette remembered the attack of Iselia; the fires, the slaughtering of the village folk…Marble..."Forcystus!"

Forcystus grinned wickedly, bearing his rather large canine teeth, "Well, well. So you remember me. It looks like it was a mistake to have let you live. I guess I'll have to take care of you personally."

Hearing the obvious threat, Kratos narrowed his garnet eyes. He had heard of the half-elf before; Mithos had lectured on him once. The Great Half-Elf Hero… "So you're Forcystus." The seraph tilted his head in an arrogant and mocking manner, "If death is what you seek, you shall have it."

Forcystus growled quietly. "Tough talk for a human," he spat, making sure that every word was accented with resentment, "You're the one who's going to die, along with this tainted world."

The purple donned man only smirked. "…Even if the world is lost, you can escape to Derris-Kharlan…Is that what you're thinking? …How naïve."

Raine blinked. Derris-Kharlan…the supposed world that elves had come from? She had thought it was only a fairy tale, read in bedtime stories for children to believe where mana came from. So it was real; but why had she not heard of it before? Surely, there would be a textbook or document of the world's history…Yes, just like how angels are half elves and desians are part of Cruxis? Right.

"…a world of mana, the very source of life! The destruction of this tainted world is no concern to us."

The professor felt a shiver down her spine. "What twisted logic…" Raine bit on her lower lip; did Kratos agree with it too? And why was she worried, anyway? "Is this Cruxis's idea?"

The aqua-green haired half elf's reply was almost an eerie mechanical one: "Lord Yggdrasill's orders are absolute."

Genis, uncharacteristically silent during the entire exchange, felt that he needed to speed things along; the whole world was going to be destroyed because a bunch of adults were arguing? "We don't have the time to be goofing around with this idiot!" He cried, earning everyone's attention, "Let's go, Lloyd!" The young mage pulled out his Kendama and began chanting, flipping his weapon up and down.

Almost as if Genis had broken a spell, everybody pulled out their respective weapons and prepared for battle. Kratos and Ranie both stood next to Lloyd, ready to support him, while Forcystus gritted his teeth and took a fighting stance.

"Drown…" the young mage grinned as the first assailant, "Spread!"

Forcystus easily sidestepped the large water spell, immediately counterattacking by firing from his missile-like arm. Genis simply cried, "Force field!" and the projectiles bounced harmlessly off the shield that was created.

Lloyd and Kratos sprang into action, striking the half elf with lighting fast strokes; the brunette's twinswords were a blur of steel, and the seraph's flame licked blade was a fiery wave.

Raine stood back, watching her allies practically handle the work of four into parts of three; Genis attacked with spells from afar, Lloyd sought to confuse the enemy with speed, while Kratos was slashing with pure unforgiving strength.

The professor glared harshly at nothing in particular; she was mostly mad at herself for not being able to do much besides support, two light attacks, and heal. Even her little brother contributed more to battles than she did!

Despite all the connecting attacks from the three, Forcystus laughed, "Nice try!" as he punched the floor with his artificial arm, spreading shockwaves around him.

"Ugh!" Both Lloyd and Kratos were caught off-guard, and were sent flying to hit the ground on their backs. The twin swordsman stood up quickly after the shock and returned to the battle with extra vigor, but Ranie saw that the purple clad man continued to lie on the ground.

_Kratos?_ The professor felt her breath quicken as she closed her eyes and began chanting, the bright light of mana going through her closed eyelids. "Are you okay? First Aid!" The familiar green healing surrounded Kratos, but he remained motionless.

"Professor!" Lloyd called, neatly dodging an Air Thrust from Forcystus, "Heal him!! Heal!!" He wasn't aware that the silver haired teacher _had_ healed Kratos. But he wasn't responding to the magic…

_NO! _Raine put all her mana into her next spell; why hadn't she seen it before? "Bring back this soul from Purgatory!" She felt him, he was dieing; she sensed her very soul reach for the spirit's hand…

'_Wouldn't I be better dead?' Kratos soul grimly smiled, 'I'm your enemy…' He floated in front of the professor, almost mocking her with his stubbornness. _

'_No you wouldn't!' Raine growled, surprisingly clenching his gloved hand in a rough grip. 'You're coming with me to the living world!' She put all her strength into heaving him along. _

_Kratos blinked in mild shock before he simply smiled and whispered, 'As you wish…'_

"Resurrection!" Raine lifted her staff high above her head.

In a dazzling show of blue and white illuminations, Kratos breathed once more; he stood up with renewed strength and vitality. The seraph looked up in time to watch Lloyd cry a final "Super Sonic Thrust!" and witness Forcystus fall into the deep trench adjacent to the mana reactor.

Genis and the brunette both cheered for their teamwork, but the elder swordsman strolled close to Raine, who was kneeling in a break.

"Tired?" Kratos questioned, eyeing the former teacher with an assessing gaze.

The orange clad woman stood up with a huff, using her rod to maintain her stance, "No I am not, thank you for your concern."

"Your welcome," Kratos smiled again, amused with her usually hidden temper.

Raine sighed. Since when did he smile so much? And why was her head spinning?

"First Aid," with the soft murmur from the auburn haired man's lips, Raine felt her tiredness and dizzy spell disappear. Kratos placed the usual smirk on his mouth before turning around to attend to the Mana Reactor.

The professor actually _pouted_. "Dim-witted angel…"

* * *

**Hmmm, I seem to be focusing on Raine more now…Maybe cause she's healing more? **

…**And yes, the exchange between Forcystus and everyone are actual quotes from the game. I couldn't resist, seriously! **


	6. Lloyd's Rant

**Ha, couldn't leave all my **onesidedLloydXKratos** fans out there TOO disappointed! Yes, the few reviews asking for more DID reach me! Filler chapter time!**

**This chapter is pretty much **separate from the rest of the story; **I mean, it's part of the same timeline, but not storyline,** **so people that are **uncomfortable** with this stuff can just **skip this chapter **and **not miss anything

**Although I say read it cause it's funny! …to me, anyways. **

**This is Lloyd talking/ranting after he finds out Kratos is his dad. Beware **OoC**-ness and slightly **adultthemes**. XD Like making out with your dad. (shudder) **

**I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, Anna's face would be shown SOMEWHERE.**

* * *

Kratos…is my…dad. 

My father…is Kratos.

The sperm that brought me along…was Kratos's.

…and I…had a crush on him.

On my Dad.

…

SICK!!!!

No wonder he used "guardian" that one time!! And I almost…

Oh dear Goddess.

I can understand now why he didn't want to tell me anything; if word got out that "Lord Kratos" had a weakness, everyone and their dog would be after my head. Or try to kidnap me. Or something.

Like Yuan. I thought he was just into younger men (I still think he's a child molester), but he actually wanted me as bait for by angelic dad. Speaking of which, why did he always have to say "Next time we meet, you're mine"? That's just asking for _some_. It still gives me nightmares to this day.

…But anyways…couldn't Kratos have said _something_? I almost _kissed_ him, for Martel's (who is not a goddess) sake! Like a "hidden sign" or whatever things like those books Genis always talk about? Anything?

Oh right. He did lecture me on something about closeness…what was it…? Oh well.

Well, I say he didn't try hard enough! If _my _son tried doing that, I would blast him with "Judgment" till he got it through his skull!

Heh, heh, "Sacred powers, cast your purifying light upon these corrupt souls…rest in peace, sinners! JUDGMENT!!!"

After hearing it so many freaking times, who _wouldn't_ have memorized it? I wanna call down light from the sky and blast everyone (like Yuan) to kingdom come…why do only demonic half elves and Kratos get to use it?

And Zelos. But he's dead now, so that doesn't count.

And Collette. But she never uses it. That's just STUPID (in a good way?) on her part. Who wouldn't want to utterly destroy all living things within a mile range?

Oh. What was I talking about again?

Uh, yeah, kissing my dad is a no-no…Yuan is a pervert…uh, want to learn "Judgment"….

…Hey! Maybe the reason why I wanted to kiss Kratos was because he looked like Mom! Yeah, that must be it!

…then I wanted to kiss Mom?

Hmmm…OH NO! Now I'm sounding like Kratos! I'm BECOMING him!!! ARGH!!! No sane person would "hmmm…" when thinking about kissing their mom! CAUSE HE'S MY DAD!!!!!!!!

Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait. I didn't want to kiss Kratos because of that…how could he look like Mom? _I_ look like Mom…

AHHHH!! Kratos could've wanted kissed me cause **I** look like Mom…! AHHHHHHH!!!! **INCEST**!!!!!!!!

...but he didn't want to kiss me…GASP!! MY DAD DOESN'T LOVE MY MOM!!!!

Oh, Genis warned me about something like this. Like "nervous breakdown" and such. Whatever that means.

Finding out that your companion-gone-crush-gone-seraph is your dad would be pretty shocking to anyone. I mean, would anyone be okay after that? Show of hands, please.

My hand is up. See? I'm A-okay! NO, I am NOT twitching…

I noticed that Kratos likes to twitch his left eye a lot. It's kinda funny to watch, his eyelid covering the bottom of his sexy (did I just say that?) red eye and twitching like crazy.

Though the Professor said I like to twitch with my left eye too.

IT'S A CONSPIRACY!!!! I just know it!

Ugh, my head hurts…

And my throat.

I want soup.

Mmmm…maybe Genis help whip one up for me…I know he will, actually, cause he always likes cooking for me! YAY! Cough…ugh.

Yeah, definitely soup.

I wonder if Kratos likes soup…


	7. Plasma Blade

**Ohmigosh, an update! Wahoo! M'kay, I expect tons of reviews from you guys! (wishes) Especially since I have my e-mail up and running again; that means replies for you all! (grins)**

**Le gasp! The first offensive title chapter! You know what that means…(wink wink) **

…**not really, but it's finally something other than Kratos: "Rawr, I'm angry!" and Raine: "I shouldn't need to heal you, hobo!"**

…**something like that. **

**I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, there would be a unison attack that only angels like Kratos and Colette could do. "Heaven's light!" **

* * *

"Help is on the way…Nurse!" Raine called for what may have been the thousandth time in the time span of twenty minutes. Her large pool of mana was slowly depleting; she knew she couldn't keep up the constant healing spells.

Once again, her student Lloyd had foolishly accepted the Swordsmaster's challenge, without even thinking once of the condition they were in. Persea, Regal, and Sheena were unable to move due to harsh poisoning, much less fight; while poor Genis was exhausted from the constant battling through the Iselia forest.

Though how one grew tired by battling weak monsters was beyond the professor's understanding.

Kratos and Lloyd weren't faring well either. It seemed for every slash they delivered, the monstrous skeleton would counter hundred-fold. The only things keeping the two swordsmen from the brink of death were the Healing Circles, Nurses, and First Aids the half elf sent.

But, to Raine's growing terror, it wasn't going to be enough.

"Gak!" Lloyd flew a couple of meters from another of the Swordmaster's strikes, landing harshly on his back.

"Lloyd!" Kratos roared, pausing in his attacks to run and check on his son. The twin swordsman easily picked himself back up, brushing off his father's concern.

But unfortunately, that flash of worry gave the elite from the underworld the time to begin chanting a spell. The dull white circle that encased it only lasted a mere moment before shinning abruptly, blinding everyone.

Raine, recognizing the spell from her little brother, gave a loud shout of warning, "Watch out! It's Meteor Storm!!"

No sooner as the forewarning rang, giant fiery boulders fell from the heavens, creating large craters in their wake. Raine danced around the blistering heat that fell, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the many chunks of rock. Miraculously, the wounded of their party that couldn't move were untouched by the horrible display of power.

_It's only aiming for the attackers! _The professor gasped, watching Lloyd and Kratos struggle to avoid the shower of meteors directly intended for them. The brunette jumped back and forth to evade, while the auburn haired man ran from spot to spot, effectively dodging the spell.

But the shower continued to fall, with the Swordmaster constantly chanting the same mantra over and over again.

_They can't keep it up…_Raine firmly grasped her beautifully decorated staff, chanting a well known and memorized spell. "Light…" Even as she said it in concentration, the silver haired woman saw that the large skeleton regarded her mildly. _I'll show you how much of a threat I can be…_"Photon!"

The monster gave a deafening screech as the light magic shot through it from within. The attack successfully distracted the Swordmaster, stopping the downpour of flaming rocks.

"So that's its weakness…" the professor murmured to herself, already preparing another light attack. _Of course…its element is darkness. _"Ray!" She shoved her staff high above the air, seeing her attack was an accomplishment in hurting the monster more.

The rain of light beams hissed through the Swordmaster with ease, causing the monster in turn to swat blindly in the general direction of the magic user. Its swords grazed narrowly by Raine, who had taken extra measures to move out of the way. She jumped from where she was standing, only to have a sword replace her spot.

_Get away…get away…_Raine continued to run from the skeleton, almost regretting showing the monster her potential. "Anyone want to help!?" She cried irritably, searching for the two swordsmen she oh-so-needed then.

"Demon fang!"

"Double Demon Fang!"

The two attacks were called in unison; the shock waves slamming into the creature. It howled only for a moment before turning around to face the nuisances it knew as 'red one' and 'purple one'.

'Purple one', known to everyone else as Kratos, dashed quickly to the right; at the same time as Lloyd, the 'red one', sped to the left, encircling the great monster. They distracted it while Raine quietly slipped father away to continue her support.

"Here!" The professor threw a lemon gel towards Lloyd, who caught it and gratefully accepted with a quick 'Thanks'. Raine then turned to Kratos with a mantra on her lips, "Are you okay? First Aid!"

"Humph…" Kratos smirked despite the cold response he gave. _I knew she wasn't useless…_Still, despite all the healing, the seraph was beginning to tire, and he could sense that Lloyd was as well. _We must end this quickly! _"Follow it up!" the purple clad man called, earning everyone's attention. He slashed at the creature then placed all his weight into thrusting his sword, "Super Lighting Blade!" A blot of lighting added to the ferocity of the driving force.

"Rising Falcon!" Lloyd jumped in a slashed in one fell swoop.

Raine, seeing the opportunity, lifted her staff. "Photon!" She cried, watching in grim satisfaction that the monster seemed to have taken more injury with her attack. Kratos then caught her eye, and they both nodded in silent understanding. "Get ready…" the half elf converted her light mana to surround Kratos, "Now!"

The swordsman took not a second hesitation as he charged straight into the monster, running clean through with his sword. The light that had encased the seraph exploded within the monster, critically damaging it.

The Swordmaster at last fell for the final time.

"Enemies deserve no mercy," Kratos sheathed his silver sword, the air of arrogance almost tangible around his head.

"Wow! Professor, Kratos…that was awesome!" Lloyd bounced from side to side, never witnessing such a combination before. "What was that?"

Raine glanced at the swordsman, unsure what the attack was herself. _It reminded me of Photon Tempest, but…_

"Plasma Blade," Kratos answered causally, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. A sly grin formed on his lips as he saw the matching bewildered expressions, "Surely you had heard of it before?"

"No," the brunette replied bluntly before running in the direction of Genis to brag about what he got to see while the young half elf was dazed.

Raine shrugged as she laid her staff on the ground to rest," I never heard of it before," She offered, seeing how Kratos seemed somewhat disheartened by his son's lack of interest.

"Hm...yes," Kratos grunted a bit off handedly "Someone taught me that technique."

The professor instantly felt something tug at her. "Someone important?" the half elf asked tactfully, not quite aware of the nagging voice in her head.

The seraph was quiet for a moment "You could say that," He answered finally, waving the subject away with a gesture of his gloved hand. A couple moments of silence passed.

"Was it Martel?"

"Yes," Kratos avoided eye contact with the perspective teacher. "…She was a good friend."

"But you wished it was more," Raine had to hide a smile with the spluttering denials the auburn haired man said while blushing badly. _So that's where Lloyd gets it from…_

Recovering quickly though, Kratos replied in a quiet voice, "She had Yuan," He smiled bitterly, "then I had Anna." The swordsman chose that moment to look at his son, who was playfully poking Genis' head. "And she left me with a healthy boy…"

"Not a boy any longer," Raine pointed out delicately, moved by the usually cold man's display of emotion.

"Humph. I suppose…" Kratos chuckled softly, raising a brow to the silver haired woman. "Then there's you."

"Me?" Raine asked dumbly blinking in question, "What about me?"

The purple clad man merely smiled mysteriously, leaning close to the half elf's pointed ear and whispering, "Thank you for your help."

Raine felt all her blood rushing to her face feeling the swordsman's warm breath wash over her sensitive ear. She shifted uncomfortably with the close contact, but the half elf refused to move. It felt…nice.

Kratos straightened out promptly enough, maybe too hastily, and turned away to query Regal about the prospect of camping early; leaving Raine a little more than bewildered.

_What was that all about?_

* * *

**Ahh…the OoCness, it burrrrrns usssss…Oh well. The "Kratos having a crush on Martel" bit? You can ignore that; I just wanted Kratos to be even more angsty! If that's even possible…Sad, but true! **

**Does anyone wonder where Colette is at? Don't worry, I didn't forget her on accident; according to this timeline, she's waiting to be rescued from Mithos' Tower. Ha, don't tell me I'm the only one that did sidequests when I should've been saving Colette. (laughs)**


	8. Kratos' Reflection

**Another filler chapter! Uhoh…I'm afraid I'm making a habit of this…**

**This time…we have a little (I mean, LITTLE) taste of what happens in the mind of our favorite angsty seraph: Kratos! Though it's not in first person, you get the idea. **

**I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If I did, Botta would've never died…I'm sad now.**

* * *

Kratos gave a loud heave of air as he sat down in the forest floor; it was comforting to the seraph that something as simple as cool grass beneath him could unwind his tense muscles. He massaged his sore legs attentively, thinking back on the day's events.

The day had been stressful, to say the least.

Not only had almost have of the party suffered from poisoning, but his son had thoughtlessly thrown them into another dangerous situation with the elite from the underworld. Genis had been uselessly weak, and Colette, one of the valued light-users, was still with Mithos.

If that hadn't been enough, once they had defeated the foe, Lloyd accidentally broke a Dark Bottle, sending legions of monsters after them. Kratos was still shuddering from the memory of a wyvern finding the near-defenseless group; if it wasn't for Raine and her healing, they would've undeniably been killed.

Raine…The auburn haired man looked to where the professor was reading through a book, obviously too engrossed to notice anything else. Kratos felt a soft sigh escape his lips.

He had always been fascinated towards the healers. Martel was the first person that Kratos had ever seen use the healing arts, and he instantly was drawn to her. He had requested to learn some of the mantras she knew, and with every new healing spell, he had fallen more in love with her. Unfortunately for the auburn haired man, his half elf friend Yuan was attracted to her as well, and Martel accepted his feelings.

"Because I'm a half elf." She had explained to the swordsman after he had asked why she wouldn't acknowledge his love, "Other humans would treat you worse if you were personally involved with one."

Kratos had accepted that excuse, and even as Martel's lifeblood flowed from her, the auburn haired man had stood by and not once opened his mouth to speak to her; permitting Yuan and Mithos to spend the last moments talking.

After all, they were the ones she loved.

Then, 4011 years later, he had met Anna.

Anna was a human; she couldn't perform any type of spell, healing or no. But she was a nurse working at a hospital before she was taken to the Human Ranch, and she knew how to treat wounds of any kind of range and severity. When she had bandaged a gash that one of her fellow prisoners had received during one of Kratos' many visits, the seraph immediately became interested in the test subject.

How can one so spirited and rebellious be so tender and caring? It was a question the auburn haired man wanted to answer as he observed Anna growingly.

Of course, their love ended in her death.

And now…Kratos shook his head, sending his thick auburn bangs to sway along. What good would falling in love again prove? It was if the seraph had a curse to have every woman he ever loved die a horrible death. What if the same thing happened to Raine?

The purple clad man again glanced at the half elf, half expecting her to fall to the floor lifelessly.

But to Kratos' relief, the silver haired woman was as lively as ever, setting her book aside to obviously lecture Lloyd on whatever she had just read. The poor brunette looked physically ill as he swayed his arms side to side, apparently trying to convince her to stop.

Through half lidded garnet orbs, the swordsman watched the scene with twisted amusement.

"…also, Lloyd, you must remember that when the poisons of a certain plant are released in the air…" The professor droned on, deliberately ignoring the twin swordsman's protests to her lesson.

"Prooofesseeer!!" Lloyd whined, holding his head in his hands, "Why aren't you teaching everyone else?"

"Because Genis already knows this, and Colette's not here," Raine responded without any mercy. "And everyone else is already out of school."

"Nnnnoooooo…"

The seraph quietly laughed. No, Raine was to stubborn; too tough to just give up and die pathetically. She wouldn't sacrifice herself without a cause; she wouldn't turn against them, forcing them to strike her down.

And that; Kratos realized with satisfaction, is what he loved about her.

"Oh!" the professor lifted a finger in the air signifying she had remembered something, "It's my turn to cook tonight!"

What?

The purple donned man presented a fleeting look to the other members of the party, who gave the impression of being just as surprised and/or disgusted.

"I think I'll make spaghetti!" the silver haired woman concluded with joy.

Lloyd groaned loudly to show his distaste, but Kratos lifted his eyes towards the heavens.

And he loved her…why, again?


	9. Revitalize

**Oh my gosh…it's the last chapter. Fear and tremble, weaklings! Muhahaha…**

**I remember a reviewer once pointing out that the storyline was everywhere. Yes, it IS. I planned it to go throughout the entire game, but I got lazy with details…So like almost each chapter was a HUGE jump from each other. **

**Yeah…so, and as my (most likely disappointed) readers will find out, I am terrible with endings. They always end up being rushed and awkward. I can't help it! I'm sorry…! (Dang, I'm sounding like Colette!)**

**I would like to thank my faithful readers/reviewers…without you guys, I wouldn't have gotten off my lazy butt to type this out! And like **Nasusi** and** The Amazing Chris** get a HUGE cookie, cause they reviewed EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER. Whoa, stalkers! Ha, just kidding, I love you guys! It was really you two helping me out a lot! **

**And now...the terrible and sucky conclusion to **First Aid**; my first long (for me) Tales of Symphonia story! Oh and as a note, I hope you can follow this chapter; it's EVERYWHERE. Sorry 'bout that. (DANG! Apologized AGAIN!)**

**But first…I don't own Tales of Symphonia. If I did…Keheheh...Poor, poor Kratty-kun. Sorry this Author Note is so long…(ARGH! Stop…saying sorry!!)**

* * *

They had made it; it was their final destination, and the most decisive battle had at last begun. They had went through torture inside their minds, explored a hellish castle the elves had called home at one point, and they were finally confronting the one who had started the entire nightmare in the first place; Mithos Yggdrasill. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Raine Sage bared her teeth savagely as she stood her ground, absorbing every single attack the small blond fashioned through her staff. For a fleeting sickening moment, the silver haired woman thought her staff would snap in two, but her weapon continued to hold out; even though the healer's arms were failing her.

_I can't lose hope…_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seraph Kratos Aurion slashed and hacked frantically with his sword directed at his former student and traveling companion from four thousand years ago. Though it was a valiant effort, and many enemies would have been slain from the sheer force, it was all in vain; Mithos didn't remove himself from attacking Raine.

_Get away from her…!_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hero Lloyd Irving cursed loudly for every failed attempt to distract the leader of Cruxis, though the brunette was pulling every sword technique he knew. He was growing tired, the twin swordsman could sense it, but Mithos refused to engage Lloyd in combat, choosing instead to harass the Professor.

_Why won't he let up?! _

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chosen Colette Brunel coughed weakly, blood flowing out of her slightly parted lips, lying away from all the combating. She knew she wasn't to live for long, but she couldn't help but feel worried for the ones left fighting; as her lifeblood slipped away, she wondered…will they be all right?

_Oh…__**anybody**__…protect them!_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summoner Sheena Fujibayashi couldn't feel anything, not even the large gash she had on her right side. She had been stupid before, but the raven head decided that trying to summon Shadow while a psycho child was one the loose hadn't been her brightest moment.

_This is how I go? Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

President Regal Bryant breathed harshly, kneeling in a resting position; his handcuffs were a rest for his head. He had repeatedly attacked in a futile effort; why couldn't he be strong to protect the only friends he had?

_I truly am…pathetic. _

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Axman Persea Combatir knelt leaning against her axe, blood gushing freely from the large slash she had received in the forehead. The pink haired girl was barely hanging on to consciousness, wanting nothing more than to lie down and fall asleep…or die.

_Would you accept me, Daddy?_

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warlock Genis Sage felt sobs escaping his throat, the young magic user was personally surprised that he had the will to continue blasting the only half elf friend he had. Mithos had said he was lying the whole time about being companions, but Genis never lied; the silver haired child was speaking the truth about his loyalty.

_Because I'm your friend…! I'll stop you!_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mithos growled under his breath; why wasn't the blasted healer dieing?! He had given up on destroying everyone with his magic; his main focus was the professor. He wasn't stupid, Mithos was well aware of the fact that his enemies depended on Raine when they fell; why not take out the foundation of the breaking bridge?

Finally fed up with the two swordsmen's unrelenting interference though, Mithos spun in a full circle, loosing the light magic within the ball of his hand. "Scatter…" the blonde snarled dangerously quiet, not bothering to defend himself against Genis' Wind Blade.

Lloyd and Kratos both flew back, and equally taken by surprise, harshly landed on their stomachs. The brunette gasped for air as he felt his lungs emptied, growing dizzy with the lack of oxygen. Everything swimming in his vision, the twin swordsman stood up shakily, brandishing his blades in what he hoped to be in a threatening manner. "Pretty good," he managed to wheeze, grinning toothily.

Kratos crashed on the unsympathetic ground with warped elegance, still controlling enough of his body to flip back up. He growled deep in the back of his throat, adjusting his shield and sword. "Tricky…" The auburn haired man absentmindedly wiped the bit of blood from the corner of his lips that had accumulated.

For a moment, Mithos looked at the two swordsmen and hesitated. He thought that he had completely knocked out the opposing forces, but Lloyd and Kratos stood back up, the fire of determination still fierce in their abnormally similar eyes.

Mithos' uncertainty was what Raine needed, as she ran farther away from the blond and shouted with her staff in the air, "Help is on the way, Healing Circle!" She didn't use the healing spell often, but the silver haired woman gazed with contentment that the small dome-like manifestation of her mana eased the wounds of the father and son.

Mithos half shouted and half roared at his own foolishness; then calming at once, the blond smirked, waving his hand in the air whilst chanting softly. Without warning, the seraph in child form stretched out his entire body, releasing an immense amount of mana. "Goodbye…" Mithos offered a cruel smile, "JUDGMENT!"

It nearly happened in an instant.

Rays of light fell straight down upon them, and almost as if in slow motion, Professor Raine watched her friends…no her family, fall one by one.

"Sis…" Genis crumpled to the floor as a light beam stuck him dead on, the small boy's soft sapphire eyes glazed over. And he thought he was being careful…

"Damn…" Sheena finally started to feel something, a burning sensation throughout her legs. Although she considered herself to be an idiot, the raven head trusted her intuition that she was going to die…

"I'm sorry!" Regal, in his exhausted state, could only shout the apology when he was struck down. He was beyond a doubt regretful…if only, if only…

"Good bye…" Persea softly smiled while she fell, surprisingly not stuck down by Mithos' magic, just from pure fatigue by the blood loss. She hoped her father wouldn't be too disappointed when she showed up…

"I'm sorry…Dad…" Lloyd closed his eyes and relaxed. The twin swordsman knew he shouldn't, but he was tired…

"I'm sorry everyone…" Colette inwardly sighed, Martel would be so sad if she saw what her younger brother was doing. The Chosen felt one more cough come to her lips…

Kratos struggled to get back up, but only managed to get on his hands and knees; he lifted his head to see the professor, still too shocked but to merely stare in silent horror. The auburn haired man reached weakly to her, though he was clearly fifty feet away. "No…" he rasped, blood pooling in his mouth. How did it come to this? Kratos could care less if he himself died, but everyone else? Raine? The swordsman felt himself fall. No, Raine wasn't supposed to die here…

The professor became aware of something warm and wet trailing down her cheeks as she saw Kratos collapse. Weakly bringing a hand to her face, she saw that they were tears.

Tears.

She was crying.

Mithos grinned, seeing that most of his opponents were defeated. The only one left was the silver haired woman, but the blond figured he could take his time to kill her; she didn't pose a threat anymore.

Raine watched as Mithos approached her slowly, almost at a mocking pace; he knew she couldn't do anything without her friends. He knew…More hot tears fell from her crystal blue eyes. "No…! No!" The professor began chanting for Healing Circle, not caring if Mithos would try to stop her.

The small blond actually _laughed_. She was trying to heal someone? They were all dead! Mithos stopped for a moment to watch in sadistic humor.

Who would she aim for…? Raine tried to focus.

Genis

Everyone…

Lloyd

Everyone…

Colette

Everyone…

Kratos…!

"Root of all creation, grant us the breath of life!" She yelled, the words entering her head. The professor slammed the end of her staff into the ground, "Revitalize!"

A beautiful arrangement of bright colors erupted from throughout the entire floor, temporarily causing Mithos to lose his sight. The blond gasped as he recovered his vision and saw the ones he thought to be dead rise from their own blood, looking at themselves in amazement.

Lloyd, always the quickest to recover, picked his swords off the ground where he had dropped them. "HA!" The brunette taunted, pointing the fire sword of the Material Blade towards Mithos. "Thought you got us, huh?"

"He almost did kill us," Persea stated, brandishing her axe as well. "But now we shall return the favor."

"Yes," Regal agreed coldly, preparing to go into his fighting stance.

"It's payback time!" Sheena pulled out her cards, grinning.

"Mithos," Genis shook his head sadly, placing his kendama in front of himself to start casting again, "You will die."

Colette was never the type to tell someone that they were going to die, or she was going to get revenge, but she pulled out her chakrams anyway; her lips set in a grim lock.

"Heh," Kratos smirked as he alternately tapped the front tips of his boot on the floor, readying himself for battle once more, "The Professor isn't as helpless as you think, Mithos."

"Oh really?" Mithos, despite being outnumbered immensely once again, kept a wide grin dancing on his lips as he eyed the silver haired woman with amusement. "She's _powerful_, huh?" The blonde's eyes had a dangerous glint within, and almost a dark aura engulfed him. "She doesn't stand a chance."

Kratos smile died instantly.

"RAINE!" the purple clad man forgot how to breathe as he raced towards her, "Move out of the way!!"

His warning came too late. Mithos spread his arms far, sending hot white spheres of his mana spinning outward; rings of appealing colors and runes pulsated around a confused Raine.

"Wha-?" the orange clad healer screamed as shots of unbearable pain ran through her back. Lighting fell upon her in ripples, and then a giant sword of pure mana fell on her, bursting in rays of light. She grimaced, plunging to the floor with a loud 'crack'.

Kratos could only watch in dismay, the woman that he thought would never fall…"NO!" Even as the entire group began to assault Mithos without any mercy, the auburn haired man forgot everything around him. He slowly approached the female half elf, finally kneeing next to her.

Closing his eyes, Kratos reached into his diminutive and exhausted mana supply, "First Aid!" He choked out, placing his green light of healing magic upon Raine.

She didn't stir.

"First Aid! First Aid!" The swordsman gathered the limp woman into his arms. "First Aid!" He shouted, knowing it would be in vain. "First…Aid…" Raine was dead. He had failed once more to save the one he loved; but no tears fell. He couldn't cry, he _wouldn't_ cry…not anymore. Kratos bowed his head in mourning.

"Purgatory Seal!"

Kratos blinked, hearing Sheena's loud voice from a distance. He slightly lifted his head and saw Raine staring back at him; her blue eyes were dulled, but she was _alive_. "F-first aid!" the purple clad man stuttered, taken aback that she was even breathing at all.

With every spoken spell, Kratos observed that Raine's eyes shone with more and more life. He continued shouting 'First Aid', even as Mithos was defeated by Lloyd, even as Lloyd spoke that 'It's not over yet', even as all hell was breaking all around him.

"First-arugh," Kratos panted; he completely worn out his mana supply. He couldn't use anymore magic without killing himself.

Raine smiled tenderly, still within Kratos embrace. "First Aid," she murmured, sending the green light to surround them both.

The swordsman held the healer a bit closer, "Thank you…" Kratos lowered his head to come inches from her face. "…for living." He whispered finally, pressing his lips to hers.

It was a chaste kiss, and as quickly as it started, it had ended. But both were heaving for air, amazed and stunned with each other. They couldn't hear Mithos scream his last, nor Lloyd's parting words; nothing existed but Kratos and Raine.

And First Aid.

"_Don't overdo it" _"_Are you okay?"__--Kratos and Raine_


End file.
